Millions without electricity in East

Sunday

Oct 30, 2011 at 2:00 AM

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — An unusually early and powerful nor'easter dumped wet, heavy snow Saturday on parts of the mid-Atlantic region, killing at least two people, weighing down or toppling leafy trees and power lines and knocking out electricity for more than 2.2 million residents.

Combined wire services

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — An unusually early and powerful nor'easter dumped wet, heavy snow Saturday on parts of the mid-Atlantic region, killing at least two people, weighing down or toppling leafy trees and power lines and knocking out electricity for more than 2.2 million residents.

Communities inland were hit hardest, with eastern Pennsylvania serving as the bull's-eye, said National Weather Service spokesman Chris Vaccaro.

By 9 p.m., authorities in Massachusetts and Connecticut said two people had died in storm-related incidents, including a man in Springfield, Mass., who died when he touched an electrified guardrail on the side of a road, The Republican reported.

Some places got more than half a foot of snow, and towns near the Maryland-Pennsylvania border saw 10 inches. New York City's Central Park set a record for the date and the month of October with 1.3 inches of snow by midafternoon and more falling.

More than 2.2 million customers lost power from Maryland through Massachusetts, and utilities were bringing in crews from other states to help restore it. More than half a million residents in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut were without power, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. By late Saturday, the storm had vacated most of Pennsylvania and was tracking northeast. New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts declared states of emergencies.

The heaviest snowfall was forecast for later into Sunday in the Massachusetts Berkshires, the Litchfield Hills in northwestern Connecticut, southwestern New Hampshire and the southern Green Mountains. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph were predicted, especially along coastal areas.

Some said that even though they knew a storm was coming, the severity caught them by surprise.

"This is absolutely a lot more snow than I expected to see today. I can't believe it's not even Halloween and it's snowing already," Carole Shepherd of Washington Township, N.J., said after shoveling her driveway.

The storm disrupted travel along the Eastern Seaboard. Philadelphia International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport all had hourslong delays Saturday.

Amtrak suspended service between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa., and trains in Connecticut and New York were delayed or suspended because of downed trees and signal problems.

Residents were urged to avoid travel altogether. Speed limits were reduced on bridges between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. A few roads closed because of accidents and downed trees and power lines, and more were expected, said Sean Brown, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The storm came on a busy weekend, with trick-or-treaters out for Halloween, hunting season opening in some states, and college and pro football games.

October snowfall is rare in New York, and Saturday marked just the fourth October day with measurable snowfall in Central Park since record-keeping began 135 years ago, the National Weather Service said.